Eight injured in Green Line train crash in Newton, Mass.

Thursday

May 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 29, 2008 at 2:49 PM

A train crashed into another train Wednesday evening in Newton, trapping the female driver of one of the trains inside.

Seven passengers were transported to Newton Wellesley Hospital with “serious, but non-life threatening injuries” and one was airlifted, according to MBTA officials. The operator remains in “very, very serious condition.”

Chrissie Long

A train crashed into another train Wednesday evening in Newton, trapping the female driver of one of the trains inside.

Seven passengers were taken to Newton Wellesley Hospital with “serious, but non-life threatening injuries” and one was airlifted, according to MBTA officials. The operator remains in “very, very serious condition.”

The accident occurred around 6 p.m. halfway between Waban and the Woodland stations and involved two outbound trains. Multiple ambulances and emergency crews responded.

A two-car outbound Green Line train slammed into the rear of another two-car train that was approaching the station, Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

``The first one was stopped at a red signal and was ready to proceed to the station when it was struck,'' he said.

Passengers waiting to be transported from Brae Burn Country Club said described how one of the trains was at a standstill when the other crashed into it.

“People flew out of their seats,” said Framingham resident Joe Collins, who was riding the train to Riverside when his train hit the one in front of it. “Everything started shaking.”

Worcester resident Jill Davidson, who was also on the train, said, “There were screams coming from the front car. But I didn’t know what happened until 15 minutes after.”

Most of the passengers on the train when the accident occurred were transported to Riverside in another train. A few passengers were stranded for nearly an hour at the Brae Burn Country Club.

While the accident scene was cleared, passengers were being bused between Riverside and Reservoir.

Susan Waldman, who lives behind Brae Burn Country Club on Windsor Road, said she was sitting at her table when she heard a “horrific crash.”

“There seemed to be a big gap between the sound of the collision … and the first ambulance,” she said. “I almost thought the two were unrelated. It could’ve only been five minutes, but it was so quiet after the crash.”

Waldman described what she heard as an “explosive sound, then a crunching metal sound.”

“I did hear screeching, but we often hear a squeaky sound,” she said.

Waldman said a neighbor of hers on Windsor Road saw sparks flying up from the area of the tracks.

Mayor David Cohen was on scene. Gov. Deval Patrick expressed his thoughts and prayers to the people involved.

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